I like Aladdin Sane heaps better than Hunky Dory. It hangs together better and doesn't have any songs on it that make my teeth hurt. Some of HD is just horrible. However there is a certain softness (warm and upbeat like in Starman or wistful and strange like in Bewlay Brothers) that you don't really hear again. When it's good, it's really good?
― Also unknown as Zora (Surfing At Work), Friday, 9 March 2012 16:26 (twelve years ago) link
What part of HD is horrible? "Fill Your Heart"?
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 9 March 2012 16:29 (twelve years ago) link
I like Fill Your Heart!
― Inevitable stupid samba mix (chap), Friday, 9 March 2012 16:31 (twelve years ago) link
I don't like Fill Your Heart.
Also I am no fan of Andy Warhol or Song for Bob Dylan, cute & clever once but very grating after 30 years, and for some reason Kooks rubs me up the wrong way lately too.
― Also unknown as Zora (Surfing At Work), Friday, 9 March 2012 16:34 (twelve years ago) link
B-b-b-but that dead-on guitar playing on Andy Warhol!
― Feebs K-Tel (NickB), Friday, 9 March 2012 16:38 (twelve years ago) link
Our criteria at the time was admittedly... very high school. Although since the Ryko reissues were just released, we actually had access to his entire catalog! Space Oddity was rejected out of hand for reeking of hippy and the sixties, Ziggy Stardust was "too popular" although what that meant in real terms I don't know since there were about six Bowie fans in our entire high school, most of them teachers. So the battle lines were something like Man Who Sold the World/Hunky Dory vs. Aladdin Sane/Low. Eventually somebody got a copy of Station to Station and attempts at narrative were abandoned.
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Friday, 9 March 2012 16:39 (twelve years ago) link
I agree--Fill Your Heart, Kooks, Warhol, and Dylan are stinkers!
― Iago Galdston, Friday, 9 March 2012 16:39 (twelve years ago) link
No! Warhol is great!
― Ismael Klata, Friday, 9 March 2012 16:42 (twelve years ago) link
It's DELIBERATELY ANNOYING!
― Also unknown as Zora (Surfing At Work), Friday, 9 March 2012 16:43 (twelve years ago) link
Kooks is just a nice place to be
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 9 March 2012 16:44 (twelve years ago) link
'Andy Warhol' is clearly where Metallica stole one of the riffs in 'Master Of Puppets' from.
― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican), Friday, 9 March 2012 16:45 (twelve years ago) link
"Andy sleeping/ Andy tired/ Andy take a little snooze"
Don't know why, but i find it hilarious.
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 9 March 2012 16:45 (twelve years ago) link
I used to think it was funny, but I've heard it too many times for the childish humour *or* the natty guitar to overcome the oh-god-so-annoying vocals.
― Also unknown as Zora (Surfing At Work), Friday, 9 March 2012 16:49 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCf3xa5tYKM
― "marvellously inoffensive" (Eazy), Friday, 9 March 2012 16:49 (twelve years ago) link
I should 'fess that HD, as well as being an old favourite in its own right, is one of my writing-to albums, which means I might have overplayed it, just a touch. Same goes for Aladdin Sane, Ziggy and Diamond Dogs. You sure notice which songs work for you when you've got them on rotation for 6 weeks straight.
xpost
― Also unknown as Zora (Surfing At Work), Friday, 9 March 2012 16:53 (twelve years ago) link
and for some reason Kooks rubs me up the wrong way lately too.
It's a song written for an audience of one: Zowie (two if you count Angie). In a way it annoys me in the same way Phil Collins' 'relationship' songs annoy me - I'm not the intended audience and I don't even want to eavesdrop on the situation, I feel awkward about it even.
― rain came down like water falling from the clouds (snoball), Friday, 9 March 2012 16:56 (twelve years ago) link
Hunky Dory vs. Aladdin Sane
Both albums have some annoying tracks but Aladdin Sane has Mike Garson, so I give it the edge. I love them both, including all the annoying tracks.
― Brad C., Friday, 9 March 2012 17:06 (twelve years ago) link
which reminds me of this, from way up thread:
"what are the most avant-garde/outside solos on pop singles?"Great thread idea!
Great thread idea!
^ otm
― Brad C., Friday, 9 March 2012 17:08 (twelve years ago) link
thread idea inspired by Steely Dan's "Do It Again" btw, even though it wouldn't win the "most avant-garde solo" prize
― Carlos Pollomar (WmC), Friday, 9 March 2012 17:49 (twelve years ago) link
https://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyf0o6YS9t1qfkgyio1_500.jpg
― mookieproof, Friday, 9 March 2012 18:16 (twelve years ago) link
God, I love "Kooks." It's the song that more than any other made me reconsider my long-standing antipathy to Bowie. (Big fan of Changesone in high school, completely uninterested through my 20s and 30s, again a big fan of the dozen songs I voted for.)
― clemenza, Friday, 9 March 2012 18:48 (twelve years ago) link
― The Jupiter 8 (Turrican)
Yep, and they stole the phrase 'Leper Messiah' from 'Ziggy Stardust'. Obviously Jaymz is a closet Bowie fan.
Holy shit, the vicar in that Young Ones scene is Terry Jones? It's been yonks since I watched the Young Ones I never noticed that before.
― Inevitable stupid samba mix (chap), Friday, 9 March 2012 18:59 (twelve years ago) link
my dumbass all-hits ballot, classic rockist 2 the core and (unsurprisingly) non-ILX-canonical in that i gave v short shrift to station to station & the "berlin trilogy":
1) Suffragette City2) Ashes To Ashes3) Rebel Rebel (perhaps i overrate due to imagined spiritual kinship w bikini kill's "rebel girl")4) The Man Who Sold The World5) Space Oddity (not so much for now, but then)6) Cat People (long moroder version ftw*)7) Heroes8) All The Young Dudes9) Quicksand10) Starman (have no idea how this drek got on here, should have been "fame", smdh)11) Andy Warhol12) Is There Life On Mars?13) John, I'm Only Dancing14) Fashion15) Diamond Dogs16) Moonage Daydream17) Under Pressure18) Young Americans19) Let's Dance20) Modern Love
* there's supposedly a nine minute version of the bowie/moroder "cat people (putting out fire)" on an australian 12-inch. is this a myth? anyone have it/heard it?
― Fozzy Osbourne (contenderizer), Friday, 9 March 2012 19:17 (twelve years ago) link
I always liked Fill Your Heart anyway, but liked it even more when I heard the various ways that Bowie improved on the original. It's not like he made huge changes, but every one is perfect...
― dlp9001, Friday, 9 March 2012 19:31 (twelve years ago) link
I like every song on Hunky Dory TBH.
― Inevitable stupid samba mix (chap), Friday, 9 March 2012 19:34 (twelve years ago) link
3 of my favorites that didn't make it:
Let Me Sleep Beside youMemory Of A Free FestivalUnwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed
― nicky lo-fi, Friday, 9 March 2012 19:49 (twelve years ago) link
1.Life On Mars?2.Time3.Cat People (Soundtrack)4.Modern Love5.Breaking Glass6.Drive In Saturday7.Oh! You Pretty Things8. Warszawa9.Time Will Crawl10.Suffragette City11.Ashes To Ashes12.Young Americans13.Panic In Detroit14. Art Decade15.Watch That Man16."Heroes"17.Ziggy Stardust18.Fame '90 (was not tied to this particular version)19.Space Oddity20.Cracked Actor
― sarahell, Friday, 9 March 2012 19:57 (twelve years ago) link
nine minute cat people: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvrXkOeu-ss
― fit and working again, Friday, 9 March 2012 20:19 (twelve years ago) link
eek sorry for the embed
so so worth it though!
― sarahell, Friday, 9 March 2012 20:22 (twelve years ago) link
o shit! couldn't find it the last time i looked (which was apparently quite some time ago). ^-_-^
― Fozzy Osbourne (contenderizer), Friday, 9 March 2012 20:40 (twelve years ago) link
just needs this as an intro:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPP1i2YrrfA
― Fozzy Osbourne (contenderizer), Friday, 9 March 2012 20:43 (twelve years ago) link
i think his singing got better with aladdin sane. i don't like some of the more nasally vocals on the earlier stuff.
― riding on a cloud (blank), Friday, 9 March 2012 21:23 (twelve years ago) link
i think life on mars won cuz it's a fucking amazing song
― a little tiny crunk person (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 9 March 2012 21:25 (twelve years ago) link
music crit gold ^^
― Also unknown as Zora (Surfing At Work), Friday, 9 March 2012 21:27 (twelve years ago) link
So, I was still coming up with 80 ballots, but only 78 first-place votes. Obviously I'd miscounted the #1s when I transcribed (by hand, don't ask) from my big messy spreadsheet to the nice neat googledoc. So I opened Big Messy in Google and there they were.
Revisions: "Hang on to Yourself" changed from 0 first-place votes to 1, and "Life on Mars" changed from 4 first-place votes to 5. Point totals were correct, no changes. Total number of ballots: a nice even 80.
― Carlos Pollomar (WmC), Friday, 9 March 2012 22:21 (twelve years ago) link
I love that clash of the Tony Newley cockney scamp voice with the New York arts scene references that makes Hunky Dory so original and fresh.
― Dr X O'Skeleton, Friday, 9 March 2012 22:25 (twelve years ago) link
80's a terrific effort, well done all. It makes the results so much more fun too.
― Ismael Klata, Friday, 9 March 2012 22:31 (twelve years ago) link
And 41 different songs got first-place votes.
― Carlos Pollomar (WmC), Friday, 9 March 2012 22:36 (twelve years ago) link
Wow, 80. You win!
― Mark G, Saturday, 10 March 2012 00:00 (twelve years ago) link
Is 80 all-ILM record? Well done, people--and WmC, again, great job....so FUN!!
― Iago Galdston, Saturday, 10 March 2012 00:16 (twelve years ago) link
I think so, but I don't keep up with rap or metal polls.
Mark -- I wasn't competing for anything! ILM wins.
― Carlos Pollomar (WmC), Saturday, 10 March 2012 00:31 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4Km5OKZlp0
― clemenza, Saturday, 10 March 2012 01:46 (twelve years ago) link
It's not the side-effects of the cocaineI'm thinking that all you people who voted for Low haven't listened to any other Bowie albums― an elk hunt (Ówen P.), Tuesday, March 6, 2012 4:32 PM (4 days ago)
― an elk hunt (Ówen P.), Tuesday, March 6, 2012 4:32 PM (4 days ago)
You may recall that in 1978, LP cutout bins (at least in Scranton) were full of firmly unwanted copies of Low.
― Up With Hoople (Dr. Joseph A. Ofalt), Saturday, 10 March 2012 02:26 (twelve years ago) link
they loved it in wilkes-barre tho
― mookieproof, Saturday, 10 March 2012 02:56 (twelve years ago) link
^^^^
maybe so, I don't recall seeing Low cutouts at Joe Nardone's Gallery of Sound!
― Up With Hoople (Dr. Joseph A. Ofalt), Saturday, 10 March 2012 03:41 (twelve years ago) link
Low was rating #1 of the Top 100 1970's albums on Pitchfork, btw. None of his other albums ranked in the top 50.
http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5932-top-100-albums-of-the-1970s/10/
― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 10 March 2012 04:22 (twelve years ago) link
fwiw while i did not vote in this poll and contributed no more than the occasional joek to its unveiling, i totally appreciate its existence and have indeed listened to trax 1-12 today.
so thanks y'all
― mookieproof, Saturday, 10 March 2012 04:43 (twelve years ago) link
Nah it's his best album
― riding on a cloud (blank), Saturday, 10 March 2012 05:06 (twelve years ago) link
Well, hey. Let's talk.When you consider so many other Bowie albums to be an treasure trove, pleeeeease tell meWhy Bowie's #1 album (selon ILM) contains so many one-offs, oddities; essentially a b-sides collection(excepting "Breaking glass" and "Sound + vision") come at me, it's a shit-haul.
― an elk hunt (Ówen P.), Saturday, 10 March 2012 08:17 (twelve years ago) link